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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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