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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 120 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: vault · ground · bay · clip · pit · patient · deal · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. vault — a safe
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. pit — in a race
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. deal — to handle
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — crushed
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pit — a hole
  24. clip — a video

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