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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 116 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
468
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: band · pitch · ball · last · land · vault · degree · key

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. vault — a safe
  4. ball — a great time
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. key — for a lock
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. band — a ring
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a dance
  15. key — the most important part
  16. band — a music group
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitch — completely
  19. last — finally
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — a country
  22. key — in music
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — to go on

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