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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.

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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: ruler · land · pass · rock · swing · cold · cell · vault

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. land — ground
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rock — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cold — not warm
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rock — a stone
  15. land — to come down
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cell — in biology
  20. swing — in golf
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. land — a country
  24. ruler — a monarch

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