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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 · fan · file · fall · toast · fork · temple · snap

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fall — the season
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to click
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fork — in a road
  8. vault — a safe
  9. file — a tool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. toast — bread
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. temple — a place of worship

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