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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.

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: jam · game · fork · vault · bound · drill · date · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. vault — a safe
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. game — wild animals
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. game — a match
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bound — tied together
  21. date — the fruit
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bound — certain

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