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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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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: lie · rash · field · pit · kick · bass · kid · wave

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bass — low music
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — a subject
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. kid — child
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — farmland
  22. kick — in football
  23. field — for sport
  24. rash — hasty

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