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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: patient · cell · field · vault · temple · game · bark · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. vault — a safe
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cell — in biology
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. field — for sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. field — farmland
  15. rule — a law
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — a subject
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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