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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: fork · bowl · ball · vault · chest · saw · mark · kick

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kick — in football
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chest — a box
  17. mark — a grade
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chest — of your body
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mark — a trace
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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