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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: patient · deal · pitch · spring · hand · kid · season · rush

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — help
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spring — of water
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — of the year
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. deal — to handle

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