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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 120 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: stand · vault · season · bat · fork · foot · land · game

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. stand — to bear
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — a country
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. game — a match
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — in sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bat — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. foot — a measure
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  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