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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: season · mark · can · ground · tear · vault · rule · last

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. can — a tin
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — to be able to
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — of the year
  13. last — final
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — finally
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rule — government
  20. can — a tin
  21. rule — a law
  22. ground — a position
  23. season — in sport
  24. rule — to rule out

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