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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 · saw · vault · court · leaves · stock · snap · kick

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fork — in a road
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — shares
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kick — in football
  13. vault — a safe
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. court — of law
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stock — a soup base

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