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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: vault · rash · saw · mine · fine · last · board · mate

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. board — a committee
  7. last — final
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — finally
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. vault — a safe
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — to get on
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — for digging
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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