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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 116 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: race · vault · bat · patient · key · pound · mug · calf

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mug — a cup
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pound — a weight
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. vault — a safe
  7. race — a contest
  8. mug — a face
  9. key — for a lock
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. race — the arms race
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. race — humankind
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pound — to hit hard

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