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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: vault · plane · sharp · net · field · mate · bowl · wind

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — clever
  4. field — a subject
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. net — for catching
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. field — farmland
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. field — for sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mate — a partner
  20. vault — a safe
  21. net — after costs
  22. mate — to breed
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — a tool

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