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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 · foot · chair · patient · lash · wake · mug · snap

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mug — a cup
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. wake — a trail
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kick — in football
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mug — a face
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. snap — to click
  20. foot — a measure
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. foot — the bottom
  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