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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: mate · jam · clip · sharp · deal · patient · hand · perch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. deal — to handle
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mate — a partner
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. clip — a video
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. clip — for paper
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. perch — the fish

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