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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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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: drill · pop · tube · rule · face · lie · march · vault

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rule — government
  7. face — to confront
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lie — to recline
  14. march — the month
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pop — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pop — soda
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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