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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 · clip · current · sharp · field · coach · squash · craft

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — a video
  5. vault — a safe
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. craft — a skill
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — to cut
  14. field — for sport
  15. squash — the sport
  16. craft — boats
  17. field — farmland
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — a subject

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