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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: content · temple · ruler · fine · rule · vault · clip · fall

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fall — the season
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fine — all right
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rule — government
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. rule — a law
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fine — high quality
  23. clip — a video
  24. fall — to drop

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