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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 · club · vault · rush · bay · kid · face · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. roll — a list
  6. rush — hurry
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. face — part of the head
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — child
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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