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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 · court · present · patient · current · pitch · track · roll

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. present — a gift
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. track — a path
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. vault — a safe
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. roll — a list
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. current — happening now
  24. track — a song

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