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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: fork · cap · vault · sharp · roll · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — clever
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cap — a lid
  7. roll — a list
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fork — in a road
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. roll — on a roll
  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