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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
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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: patient · rule · fork · ball · mine · deal · roll · fan

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rule — a law
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. roll — a cake
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a great time
  18. roll — a list
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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