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

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fork — in a road
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fan — to cool the air

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