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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: season · fall · sharp · chest · rule · toast · vault · branch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chest — a box
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chest — of your body
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. branch — a division
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — bread
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. season — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. sharp — clever

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