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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: field · land · rock · net · bay · ball · rush · mate

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. field — for sport
  3. rock — music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. land — to come down
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. net — after costs
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mate — to breed
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — a friend
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. land — a country
  24. mate — a partner

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