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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 116 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: cue · patient · face · vault · mine · drill · rule · fine

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — government
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fine — all right
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — for digging
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cue — for pool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. drill — the tool
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — high quality
  18. rule — a law
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. face — to confront
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cue — a signal
  23. drill — army training
  24. face — to point toward

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