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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fork · game · hand · saw · firm · squash · shower · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — help
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. firm — a company
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. hand — in cards
  10. game — wild animals
  11. vault — a safe
  12. saw — the tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. fork — in a road
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. firm — decided
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. game — a match

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