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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: tear · field · file · present · sharp · squash · bay · vault

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — for sport
  3. squash — the sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — clever
  12. file — a document
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — a subject
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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