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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: mug · chest · kick · chip · squash · stand · key · wake

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. kick — in football
  6. chest — a box
  7. stand — to bear
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mug — a face
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. key — the most important part
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — a trail

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