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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 · bowl · mine · rest · patient · coach · deal · land

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. land — a country
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rest — a break
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. land — ground
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — an agreement

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