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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 120 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: swing · bass · kick · pitcher · suit · can · field · mine

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — a tin
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. can — to be able to
  8. swing — music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. field — for sport
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — a subject
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. field — farmland
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. swing — to play on
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kick — a thrill

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