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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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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: racket · straw · club · vault · stand · field

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — a safe
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — to bear
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. field — farmland
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. club — for golf
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — for sport

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