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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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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: plane · field · foot · sharp · vault · ground · scale · swing

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. field — for sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — to play on
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ground — crushed
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ground — a position
  10. field — farmland
  11. swing — in golf
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. ground — the earth
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. scale — in music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. swing — music

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