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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: lean · bowl · chip · fork · cold · mate · vault · deal

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mate — a partner
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cold — an illness
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lean — thin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mate — to breed

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