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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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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: rush · vault · last · mate · mug · season · field · spring

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. last — to go on
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — a subject
  7. last — final
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — a coil
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a friend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mug — to rob
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. last — finally
  22. spring — the season
  23. rush — to hurry
  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