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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: track · wound · rule · chair · pass · fine · vault · last

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. last — final
  4. fine — all right
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pass — a permit
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rule — government
  9. vault — a safe
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. last — to go on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. last — finally
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. track — a path
  24. rule — a law

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