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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: firm · fork · vault · chair · kick · pitcher · field · wind

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. kick — in football
  9. firm — a company
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — a subject
  14. chair — a leader
  15. vault — a safe
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fork — in a road

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