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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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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: rule · plane · last · vault · track · wind · coach · court

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of law
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rule — government
  11. track — a path
  12. court — of a king
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — a law
  17. court — for sport
  18. track — a song
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — to keep track

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