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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: rest · rule · season · vault · lean · jam · pound · track

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rule — a law
  3. pound — a weight
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — a path
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rule — government
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — a song
  14. lean — thin
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. track — to keep track
  18. season — in sport
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rest — a break
  24. jam — in traffic

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