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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: bat · rule · cue · mine · temple · vault · straw · wind

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rule — a law
  12. cue — a signal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — a safe
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rule — government
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mine — belonging to me

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