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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 · firm · bass · jam · field · bat · tube · club

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. field — farmland
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. firm — decided
  8. club — for dancing
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. firm — a company
  11. tube — the underground
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — a subject
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tube — a container
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. field — for sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. firm — steady

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