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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 · vault · squash · mark · capital · rush · clip · perch

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — a video
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. clip — to cut
  10. capital — a city
  11. vault — a safe
  12. squash — to crush
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mark — a trace
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rule — a law
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — government

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