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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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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: firm · rock · swing · mark · clip · deal · ball · patient

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. clip — to cut
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ball — a great time
  5. firm — steady
  6. rock — music
  7. firm — decided
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mark — a grade
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — to handle
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mark — a trace
  17. swing — music
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — a company
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — a stone
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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