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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: court · perch · mug · snap · pass · saw · patient · vault

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — for sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. pass — a permit
  7. perch — the fish
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. snap — to click
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. vault — a safe
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mug — a cup
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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