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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: patient · hide · vault · cell · suit · straw · roll · pitch

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. suit — to fit
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cell — a phone
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cell — in biology
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. suit — in cards
  16. roll — a list
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. vault — a safe
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — dry grass

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