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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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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: march · key · bass · wound · patient · kid · mug · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. march — the month
  3. mug — a cup
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mug — to rob
  9. key — the most important part
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. march — music
  12. mug — a face
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. key — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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