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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kick · straw · bass · lie · rush · squash · bowl · field

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lie — to recline
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. kick — in football
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — a subject
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — hurry
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  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