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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: game · mark · vault · row · patient · pound · present · cap

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. row — a line
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — a grade
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. present — the time now
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. vault — a safe
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pound — a weight
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. present — there
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mark — a trace
  22. present — a gift
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — wild animals

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