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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.

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: bowl · vault · jam · field · straw · drill · rash · can

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. field — farmland
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. drill — a practice
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rash — hasty
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — a series
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — to be able to
  24. straw — dry grass

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