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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: date · foot · bound · cold · swing · vault · net · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. net — after costs
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. net — for catching
  5. swing — to play on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. foot — a measure
  11. swing — in golf
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — government
  15. bound — certain
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rule — a law
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. vault — a safe
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bound — obliged

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