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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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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: bowl · season · vault · fork · chair · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fork — in a road
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — of the year
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader

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