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

Word bank: vault · face · shower · mark · rule · fall

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — the season
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — part of the head
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rule — government
  13. mark — a trace
  14. shower — rain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — to confront
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — a law

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