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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.

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: bass · fine · foot · swing · mine · spring · chest · kick

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chest — a box
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. swing — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. spring — a coil
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spring — the season
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bass — low music
  23. fine — all right
  24. foot — the bottom

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