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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: kid · mug · field · jam · bass · fine · chest · ball

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — a face
  4. ball — a great time
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. chest — a box
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — a subject
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mug — to rob
  14. fine — all right
  15. kid — child
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mug — a cup
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — a penalty

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