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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 116 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: vault · prune · rule · saw · face · pit · snap · capital

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rule — government
  6. capital — a city
  7. face — to point toward
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — a law
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to click
  24. face — to confront

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