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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kick — in football
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — for sport
  8. content — the amount
  9. drill — the tool
  10. key — in music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — after costs
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — farmland
  18. net — for catching
  19. mate — a friend
  20. content — happy
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitch — completely
  24. field — a subject

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