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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: mate · vault · hand · bound · fall · foot · rush · game

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. vault — a safe
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. game — a match
  8. hand — in cards
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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