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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · patient · cue · fine · ball · wound · pitcher · wind

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ball — a dance
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fine — high quality
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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