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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · bass · pitcher · hand · track · kick · lash · toast

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bass — low music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. track — to keep track
  8. toast — bread
  9. kick — in football
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. track — a path
  12. hand — help
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. track — a song
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — the fish
  23. field — a subject
  24. toast — the most admired

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