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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: mug · saw · vault · fork · cap · fan · rule · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rule — a law
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mug — a face
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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