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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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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: fork · vault · sharp · bank · arm · fan · pitch · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. bank — for money
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bank — of a river
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bank — for money
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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