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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. suit — in cards
  4. drill — army training
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mark — a trace
  16. drill — the tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — clothes
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — a practice

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