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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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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: file · rule · rush · net · wake · kick · nail · vault

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rule — government
  6. file — a document
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — a safe
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. kick — in football
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. net — in sport
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rule — a law
  22. net — for catching
  23. rush — hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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