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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: fine · bowl · vault · field · face · cold · suit · jam

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cold — an illness
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. face — to confront
  8. vault — a safe
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. suit — clothes
  14. fine — all right
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cold — not warm
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. field — a subject
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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