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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: roll · land · kid · hand · pass · row · game · patient

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pass — a permit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. row — a line
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. land — a country
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — in cards
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — help

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