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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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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 · content · vault · key · fall · pound · wind · pitcher

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — the amount
  17. field — farmland
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — happy
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — the most important part
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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