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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: file · rule · date · vault · mark · capital

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — money
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. capital — a city
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. file — a document
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rule — a law
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. file — a tool
  18. rule — government

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