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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: vault · roll · fall · last · shower · present · ball · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. fall — to drop
  5. present — there
  6. fall — to drop
  7. roll — a list
  8. last — finally
  9. ball — a great time
  10. present — a gift
  11. shower — rain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — the season
  16. shower — to wash
  17. present — the time now
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. vault — a safe
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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