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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: hand · ground · snap · patient · swing · mate · pass · court

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — in golf
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hand — help
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ground — a position
  17. court — for sport
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — a partner
  22. swing — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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