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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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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: foot · racket · tube · ground · last · vault · patient · season

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. last — finally
  3. season — in sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — a safe
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — final
  12. tube — the underground
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tube — a container
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ground — a position
  23. racket — for tennis
  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