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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: cell · bowl · vault · spell · ground · fork

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spell — magic
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ground — a position
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cell — a phone
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ground — crushed

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