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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: spring · cold · vault · mate · firm · pitch · patient · swing

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. swing — music
  8. firm — decided
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spring — the season
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. swing — to play on
  14. firm — steady
  15. vault — a safe
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mate — a friend
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cold — not warm

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