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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 · roll · mark · deal · swing · sharp · kid · cell

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. deal — to handle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cell — a phone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. swing — music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. roll — a list
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cell — in biology
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kid — to tease
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. swing — in golf
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. roll — a cake

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