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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: season · game · mark · patient · wind · vault · roll · cue

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. cue — for pool
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cue — a hint
  19. season — in sport
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. season — of the year
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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