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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: toast · game · row · patient · can · hand · fine · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. hand — in cards
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fine — high quality
  6. row — a line
  7. fine — all right
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. can — a tin
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. row — to paddle
  13. can — a tin
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hand — help
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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