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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. net — after costs
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. net — for catching
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. net — in sport
  16. fork — in a road
  17. toast — bread
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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