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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: net · pass · spring · cell · vault · rule

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. cell — in biology
  4. net — for catching
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. net — after costs
  8. spring — the season
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rule — a law
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. vault — a safe

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