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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 · game · hand · field · deal · band · cue · swing

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. swing — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. swing — in golf
  7. game — wild animals
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — a match
  13. cue — a signal
  14. swing — to play on
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. band — a ring
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. field — for sport
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a music group

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