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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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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: key · roll · vault · degree · swing · drill · racket · pitch

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. drill — a practice
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. degree — from a university
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. key — for a lock
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. roll — a list
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitch — completely
  24. roll — a cake

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