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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · pitcher · stock · game · patient · cap · degree · hide

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a hat
  4. degree — an amount
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — goods
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — wild animals
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a lid
  20. degree — from a university
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. degree — temperature
  23. game — a match
  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