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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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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 · ball · last · march · drill · rule · bowl · bay

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rule — government
  5. drill — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. drill — a practice
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. march — music
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rule — a law
  21. drill — army training
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. last — to go on
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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