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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: tube · racket · chair · snap · patient · kick · face · land

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — to come down
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chair — a leader
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — a container
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to confront
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. snap — to click

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