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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: mate · present · vault · date · foot · clip · rule · rush

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. rule — government
  3. clip — to cut
  4. foot — a measure
  5. present — a gift
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. clip — a video
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rule — a law
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. present — there
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. present — the time now
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. date — the fruit
  24. vault — a safe

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