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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: snap · suit · stand · deal · mark · patient · row · clip

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — a video
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. snap — to click
  9. mark — a grade
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. row — to paddle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. row — a line
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — to cut
  18. suit — to fit
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — for paper
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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