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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: present · roll · rule · sharp · drill · spring · vault · racket

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. vault — a safe
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. present — a gift
  9. rule — a law
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. drill — army training
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. sharp — clever
  19. roll — a list
  20. present — there
  21. drill — the tool
  22. present — the time now
  23. drill — a practice
  24. sharp — with an edge

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