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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: jam · hide · lash · deal · toast · patient · degree · ball

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. degree — from a university
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ball — a great time
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. deal — to handle
  22. ball — a dance
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lash — to lash out

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