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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · pit · can · rule · vault · stem · season · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — of the year
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rule — government
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — in sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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