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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: current · patient · race · wind · last · vault · net · fork

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. net — after costs
  3. current — happening now
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. race — humankind
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — electric
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — a safe
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — final
  21. race — a contest
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. last — to go on

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