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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: fall · vault · rule · lie · roll · file · jam · clip

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. clip — to cut
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rule — government
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — a law
  9. fall — to drop
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. vault — a safe
  15. roll — a list
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — the season
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rule — to rule out

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