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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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Word bank
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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: fine · land · ball · bat · vault · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fine — all right
  4. land — to come down
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. land — a country
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bat — the animal
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ball — a great time
  18. vault — a safe

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