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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 120 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: sharp · cold · rule · rest · vault · chair · nail · mark

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rest — a break
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rule — a law
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. vault — a safe
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — government

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