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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 · fine · cold · rule · kick · saw

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rule — government
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rule — a law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fine — high quality

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