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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: field · vault · wind · object · pitch · bore

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. 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. field — a subject
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitch — completely
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — to tire
  13. object — an aim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to drill
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. 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