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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: prune · pass · coach · vault · cell · kid · ruler · rule

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — to tease
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rule — government
  6. vault — a safe
  7. kid — child
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cell — in biology
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ruler — for measuring

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