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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: vault · chair · bulb · kid · mug · fall · key · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mug — a cup
  9. key — the most important part
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fork — in a road
  14. key — in music
  15. mug — a face
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — to rob
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — to drop

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