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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 120 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: net · vault · cap · bulb · fork · sharp

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — in a road
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. net — after costs
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — of ice
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — in sport
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — for catching
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid

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