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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: kick · patient · capital · bat · mark · snap · nail · leaves

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. kick — in football
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. patient — a sick person

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