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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: straw · rule · row · vault · charge · wake · field · key

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — a subject
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. field — farmland
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — for sport
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. key — in music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. key — the most important part
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. vault — a safe
  24. row — a line

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