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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · patient · season · ball · fan · present · deal · row

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — in sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — to tease
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. row — to paddle
  18. present — the time now
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — of the year
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ball — a great time

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