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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: pit · patient · jam · stock · rest · vault · bat · cell

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pit — in a race
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pit — a hole
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — in biology
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rest — a break
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — shares
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stock — goods

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