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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · content · key · net · bank · tear · track · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. bank — for money
  3. track — a path
  4. content — happy
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bank — of a river
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — to rip
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — a song
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — in sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. net — for catching
  16. key — for a lock
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ball — a great time
  20. key — in music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. field — for sport
  23. content — the amount
  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