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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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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: racket · chest · vault · saw · bay · rule · drill · fine

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fine — high quality
  13. vault — a safe
  14. drill — army training
  15. chest — of your body
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fine — all right
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — government
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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