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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.

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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: game · fine · deal · ground · patient · pitch · swing · season

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — all right
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. season — of the year
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — a match
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitch — completely
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — to handle
  23. swing — music
  24. fine — high quality

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