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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.

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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: kick · field · bass · deal · key · chest · foot · land

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. land — a country
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — the fish
  10. land — to come down
  11. deal — to handle
  12. land — ground
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chest — a box
  16. field — a subject
  17. foot — a measure
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — farmland
  24. key — in music

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