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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · vault · fan · mug · bay · patient · file · row

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mug — to rob
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mug — a cup

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