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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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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: racket · hand · toast · cabinet · pitcher · patient · date · bound

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bound — certain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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