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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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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rule — government
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. dip — to sink
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fall — the season
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rule — a law
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — for light
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — in football
  24. bear — the animal

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