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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: foot · bat · pass · kick · rule · patient · coach · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. kick — in football
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rule — government

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