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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 116 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: field · fan · squash · cap · wind · last · vault · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — for sport
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — to crush
  8. last — to go on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — to handle
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — finally
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. last — final
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cap — a lid

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