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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: cold · patient · rest · spell · mine · deal · court · vault

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — what's left
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — magic
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. court — of law
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — of a king
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — a break
  19. deal — to handle
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cold — an illness
  22. court — for sport
  23. cold — not warm
  24. deal — a big deal

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