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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 116 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: vault · fine · cold · rule · kick · saw · bass · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rule — a law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fine — high quality
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rule — government
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fine — all right
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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