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

Word bank: chair · pit · nail · pitch · chest · vault · bound · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. field — farmland
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chest — a box
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitch — completely
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — certain
  19. chair — a leader
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pit — in a race
  23. vault — a safe
  24. nail — for a hammer

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