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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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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: racket · mouse · rest · vault · fork · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I would like to have 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. row — a line
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rest — a break
  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