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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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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: firm · key · sharp · vault · pitcher · face · field · foot

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. foot — a measure
  3. key — for a lock
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — decided
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. field — farmland
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — in music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. face — to point toward
  19. vault — a safe
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. firm — a company

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