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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 · cabinet · field · drill · game · date · temple · mark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mark — a trace
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. drill — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — army training
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. date — the fruit
  17. field — a subject
  18. mark — a grade
  19. net — in sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. field — farmland
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — after costs
  24. field — for sport

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