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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: bat · bay · saw · shower · patient · pit · bowl · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. shower — rain
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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