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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rock — music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitch — completely
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rock — a stone
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — farmland
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. lie — to recline
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. field — for sport
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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