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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: rule · march · vault · staff · bear · court

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. vault — a safe
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. march — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — the month
  18. court — of a king

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