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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 · fork · game · firm · vault · saw · pitcher · spell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — letters
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. vault — a safe
  14. game — wild animals
  15. firm — a company
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. firm — steady
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. firm — decided
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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