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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: board · face · land · vault · last · rush · fall · cue

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — to come down
  3. rush — hurry
  4. face — to confront
  5. last — to go on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. last — finally
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. last — final
  12. board — to get on
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — the season
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — a safe
  22. land — ground
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. land — a country

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