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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: kid · jam · club · arm · can · wound · field · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kid — child
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. club — for golf
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. can — to be able to
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. field — a subject
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — for dancing
  24. vault — a safe

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