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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.

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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: bass · kid · drill · rock · lie · kick · field · ground

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — army training
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bass — the fish
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bass — low music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. kick — in football
  20. field — for sport
  21. rock — music
  22. kid — child
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — a position

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