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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. present — a gift
  4. net — in sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. present — the time now
  7. vault — a safe
  8. object — to protest
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. present — there
  11. chest — a box
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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