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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · fine · staff · wake · vault · field · fan · kid

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. kid — to tease
  5. field — for sport
  6. kid — child
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fine — all right
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. field — farmland
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. staff — employees

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