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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: ground · march · straw · vault · object · kid · net · nail

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ground — the earth
  11. march — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. vault — a safe
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. march — the month

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