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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: mine · bowl · fork · club · deal · last · patient · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. club — a group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. deal — to handle
  10. last — final
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — to go on
  14. fork — in a road
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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