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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · pass · net · patient · drill · season · press · bat

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bat — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. press — newspapers
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. press — to push
  10. drill — a practice
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. drill — army training
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. season — in sport
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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