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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: rush · saw · racket · foot · patient · mug · chest · hand

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chest — a box
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. foot — a measure
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hand — help
  24. foot — the bottom

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