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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: net · content · rash · bay · field · arm

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. 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. net — in sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. content — happy
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. field — for sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. net — for catching
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. field — farmland
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. 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