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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: dip · mark · cold · swing · rash · ruler · rest · vault

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rash — a series
  18. cold — an illness
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. swing — music
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — not warm

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