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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 116 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: field · nail · bat · dip · game · mate · bass · suit

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — the fish
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. suit — to fit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — clothes
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mate — a partner
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a match
  22. dip — to sink
  23. field — a subject
  24. suit — in cards

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