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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · pitcher · chest · wind · mark · season · mug · kick

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chest — a box
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. season — in sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mug — to rob
  22. season — of the year
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wind — moving air

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