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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: key · ruler · lean · jam · pitcher · vault · last · bay

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — for a lock
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. key — in music
  18. last — to go on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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