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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
468
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: mark · kick · bass · bat · pit · field · trunk · hand

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — in football
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. hand — help
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mark — a trace

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