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

Word bank: mate · pass · vault · patient · drill · rule

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rule — a law
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pass — a permit
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mate — to breed
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rule — government
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. patient — a sick person

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