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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. game — wild animals
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. rash — a series
  13. roll — a list
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — in cards
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — help
  21. deal — to handle
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. patient — a sick person
  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