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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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Word bank
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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: staff · fine · field · pitcher · squash · pit · firm · object

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — a company
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — a subject
  7. staff — a stick
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. fine — high quality
  11. object — an aim
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. firm — decided
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. firm — steady
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pit — in a race
  24. field — for sport

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