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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: cell · vault · club · field · stick · tear · board · rule

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. field — for sport
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — a phone
  19. field — farmland
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. tear — to rip

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