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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: field · firm · current · bat · fork · bound · pitcher · cell

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. field — for sport
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. firm — steady
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. field — a subject
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — farmland
  19. firm — a company
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. current — electric

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