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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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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: chip · vault · degree · net · last · chair · bore · patient

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — an amount
  5. last — to go on
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — temperature
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chip — for betting
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bore — to tire
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. last — final
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chair — a leader
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. degree — from a university

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