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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: rule · straw · vault · present · bass · ball · cold · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rule — government
  4. present — the time now
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. present — there
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — not warm
  15. present — a gift
  16. bass — low music
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ball — a great time

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