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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: date · patient · field · bay · rule · vault · fine · lie

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fine — all right
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rule — a law
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. field — a subject
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fine — high quality
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. field — for sport
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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