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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: hide · field · face · swing · bat · firm · vault · rush

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — part of the head
  4. firm — steady
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. firm — decided
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — the animal
  13. firm — a company
  14. face — to confront
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. field — a subject
  17. face — to point toward
  18. field — farmland
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. swing — in golf

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