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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · ruler · march · mug · ground · vault · field · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mug — to rob
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — the earth
  8. march — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — crushed
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — a cup
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. field — farmland
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mug — a face
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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