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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: fan · stick · vault · safe · cold · toast · band · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. toast — bread
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cold — an illness
  10. band — a ring
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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