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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: coach · jam · patient · fall · deal · game · fork · kick

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fall — the season
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fork — in a road
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. game — a match

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