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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: patient · pass · deal · snap · last · mine · kick · season

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. last — to go on
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. last — final
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kick — in football
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — finally
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pass — a permit
  23. season — in sport
  24. snap — to click

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