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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: rash · rule · fall · hand · cap · file · vault · mate

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. file — a document
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hand — help
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rule — government
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fall — the season
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rash — hasty
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. hand — in cards
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rash — a series
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rash — on the skin

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