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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: fall · key · bat · rule · vault · wax · net · ball

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — government
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wax — to grow
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. net — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fall — the season
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. net — after costs
  24. wax — in the ear

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