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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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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: vault · firm · net · last · craft · rule · staff · saw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. firm — a company
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. firm — decided
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — for catching
  11. last — finally
  12. rule — a law
  13. net — after costs
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rule — government
  24. firm — steady

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