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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: vault · season · deal · fork · dip · shower · file · kick

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fork — in a road
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. file — a tool
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. file — a document
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kick — in football
  14. season — in sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. shower — rain
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. file — a line of people
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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