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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · game · track · spring · mine · ruler · root · season

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. vault — a safe
  4. track — a path
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. track — a song
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. game — a match
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. root — the cause
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — to keep track
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. root — of a word
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — in sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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