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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: rest · board · cold · hide · last · vault · ruler · band

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. band — a ring
  3. rest — a break
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — finally
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rest — what's left
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cold — not warm
  12. last — final
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. last — to go on
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cold — an illness
  24. board — to get on

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