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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — after costs
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rest — a break
  7. content — happy
  8. net — in sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. stand — to bear
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. track — a path
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — farmland
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. field — for sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. field — a subject
  24. track — a song

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