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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: pit · deal · patient · hand · mine · net · kick · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — help
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pit — in a race
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. net — in sport

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