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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 120 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: suit · patient · pound · mark · deal · clip · firm · last

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — for paper
  7. mark — a trace
  8. suit — in cards
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — final
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. last — finally
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. suit — clothes
  17. clip — a video
  18. suit — to fit
  19. clip — to cut
  20. firm — decided
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. deal — to handle

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