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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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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. firm — a company
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. firm — steady
  14. rock — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. firm — decided
  17. board — a committee
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. vault — a safe
  21. board — to get on
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bat — the animal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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