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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 120 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: bowl · field · vault · stick · clip · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. clip — for paper
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — a subject
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. field — farmland
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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