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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: cold · rule · craft · cap · firm · vault

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. craft — boats
  3. rule — government
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — not warm
  6. firm — a company
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cap — of ice
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. firm — steady
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rule — a law
  18. cold — the Cold War

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