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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: file · suit · field · content · mug · bore · staff · net

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — farmland
  5. staff — a stick
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mug — a face
  9. field — for sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. file — a tool
  12. content — happy
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. file — a document
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bore — to tire
  18. net — in sport
  19. mug — a cup
  20. suit — in cards
  21. field — a subject
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bore — gave birth

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