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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 120 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: vault · leaves · mate · game · clip · bay · rush · ruler

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. clip — a video
  4. vault — a safe
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — a friend
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — to cut
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ruler — for measuring

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