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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: pitch · ground · pit · field · vault · rock · lie · date

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — for sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ground — a position
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — farmland
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. field — a subject
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lie — to recline
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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