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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 120 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 · field · vault · stick · clip · bay · content · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. clip — a video
  4. race — humankind
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. field — a subject
  12. clip — to cut
  13. content — happy
  14. field — farmland
  15. vault — a safe
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. race — the arms race

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