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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: rule · toast · wound · mate · vault · land · chair · suit

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. toast — bread
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rule — a law
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rule — government
  12. chair — a leader
  13. land — ground
  14. suit — to fit
  15. land — to come down
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. land — a country
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. suit — in cards
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wound — an injury

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