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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: temple · rest · mine · club · chip · patient · bat · kick

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — a group
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mine — for digging
  17. club — for golf
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — the animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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