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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: board · wave · rule · file · root · court · straw · vault

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rule — government
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. root — of a word
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rule — a law
  14. board — to get on
  15. file — a line of people
  16. board — a committee
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. file — a document
  24. straw — dry grass

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