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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: perch · mine · cold · ruler · vault · deal · present · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — a gift
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rule — a law
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cold — an illness

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