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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: field · mark · straw · kid · shower · key · vault · jam

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. key — in music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mark — a grade
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. kid — child
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. vault — a safe
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. key — the most important part
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. field — a subject

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