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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: arm · fork · vault · fan · root · cold · mate · lie

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lie — to recline
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. root — of a plant

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