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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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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: deal · bat · vault · root · pit · nail · rule · prune

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rule — government
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bat — the animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. prune — to trim
  16. deal — to handle
  17. root — the cause
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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