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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 120 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: kid · bound · deal · mark · pit · root · patient · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mark — a trace
  7. root — of a word
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bound — certain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — child
  16. root — of a plant
  17. deal — to handle
  18. root — the cause
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. swing — to play on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mark — a grade
  24. deal — a big deal

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