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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: rule · chest · vault · wave · bat · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chest — a box
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chest — of your body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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