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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 120 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: ball · pitcher · chest · lean · foot · patient · kick · mark

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — thin
  6. ball — a great time
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. kick — in football
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. foot — a measure
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  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