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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 · leaves · drill · cell · field · ball · date · content

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. field — a subject
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. net — in sport
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — happy
  7. field — for sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cell — a phone
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — after costs
  12. drill — army training
  13. date — the fruit
  14. net — for catching
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — the amount
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. drill — the tool

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