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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: vault · field · firm · land · roll · toast · arm · degree

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. firm — a company
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. field — a subject
  9. firm — decided
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — a safe
  12. land — a country
  13. roll — a cake
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. land — ground
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — for sport
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. land — to come down
  20. degree — an amount
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — steady
  23. degree — temperature
  24. toast — bread

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