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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: mug · rule · vault · rock · cap · temple · wound · chair

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a lid
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — government
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rule — a law
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rock — to move gently

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