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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · chest · pitcher · field · deal · bass · last · plane

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — a tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chest — a box
  19. bass — the fish
  20. field — for sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. field — a subject
  23. last — final
  24. plane — an aircraft

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