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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: bass · squash · mug · sharp · kick · foot · field · jam

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. field — for sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — clever
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — in football
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — low music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mug — a face
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mug — a cup
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kick — with a leg

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