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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: date · patient · field · bay · rule · vault

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rule — government
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rule — a law
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — a subject
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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