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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: ground · bowl · straw · bat · fork · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fork — in a road
  4. vault — a safe
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ground — a position
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bowl — to roll

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