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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: stick · vault · cap · mate · date · pass · current · patient

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cap — a lid
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cap — of ice
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. date — the fruit
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mate — to breed
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pass — a permit
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — a hat
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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