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

Word bank: swing · deal · cabinet · clip · present · patient · racket · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. clip — a video
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. present — the time now
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — to eat
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — in golf
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. present — there
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — to play on

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