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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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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: hand · pound · kick · patient · mate · fall · squash · toast

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — to crush
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pound — a weight
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. kick — in football
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — help
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fall — the season
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. toast — bread
  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