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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 116 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 · wind · rock · rule · plane · fall

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. rule — government
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fall — the season
  6. vault — a safe
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rock — music
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fall — to drop
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wind — moving air
  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