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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · temple · march · vault · mouse · key · bat · root

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. vault — a safe
  6. key — in music
  7. root — the cause
  8. wake — a trail
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. bat — the animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. march — the month
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com