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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: tear · rest · kick · field · vault · bound · bass · pitch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rest — a break
  12. field — for sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bass — the fish
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — to rip
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bass — low music
  22. bound — certain
  23. field — farmland
  24. bass — the instrument

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