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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · sharp · trunk · hide · pit · patient · track · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pit — a hole
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. season — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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