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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: pop · hide · vault · bowl · temple · tube · field · file

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. file — a tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tube — a container
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — the underground
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pop — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pop — soda
  22. file — a line of people
  23. field — a subject
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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