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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: rule · pass · mate · vault · ground · pitch · court · band

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pass — a permit
  4. vault — a safe
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — crushed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. mate — a friend
  12. court — of a king
  13. rule — government
  14. ground — a position
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. band — a music group
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ground — the earth

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