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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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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: deal · patient · object · mine · mate · last · pitch · ruler

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. last — to go on
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — a partner
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — finally
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — final
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — completely
  23. object — an aim
  24. mine — an explosive

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