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

Word bank: deal · present · chair · wake · field · vault

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — a gift
  4. field — a subject
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. present — the time now
  7. chair — a leader
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. field — for sport
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wake — a trail
  14. present — there
  15. deal — to handle
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. chair — to sit on

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