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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: drill · club · sharp · vault · mate · cap · can · rash

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. club — a group
  3. drill — army training
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. club — for dancing
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. club — for golf
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mate — a friend
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rash — a series
  24. mate — to breed

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