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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: squash · field · vault · last · jam · ruler · wound · ball

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. last — finally
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ball — a great time
  18. vault — a safe
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ball — a dance
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wound — an injury
  24. squash — the vegetable

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