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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: vault · shower · fall · board · stand · bay · bowl · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — final
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — rain
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. board — to get on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fall — the season
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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