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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: mouse · wind · chest · rule · vault · pitcher

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rule — a law
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — a safe
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — 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