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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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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: nail · dip · rule · hand · fall · cold · stand · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — in cards
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fall — the season
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — to drop

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