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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: spell · pass · fall · content · last · band · vault · rule

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rule — a law
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a music group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spell — magic
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — letters
  13. last — finally
  14. content — the amount
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rule — government
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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