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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: kick · hand · chair · pit · temple · wake · foot · wound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chair — a leader
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — in football
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pit — a hole
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. kick — with a leg

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