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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: bowl · bat · vault · fork · march · scale · calf · chip

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bat — the animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chip — to eat
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. scale — in music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chip — for betting

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