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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: jam · court · lean · tube · key · land · vault · drill

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. court — for sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. land — ground
  6. court — of law
  7. lean — to bend
  8. tube — a container
  9. key — the most important part
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. drill — army training
  13. tube — the underground
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. drill — a practice
  16. vault — a safe
  17. court — of a king
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. land — to come down
  24. key — in music

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