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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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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 · club · field · key · vault · file · bark · foot

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. field — farmland
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. field — a subject
  13. club — for golf
  14. vault — a safe
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bark — to shout
  18. club — a group
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. file — a tool
  24. key — the most important part

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