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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 116 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: ball · drill · field · bowl · firm · present · nail · leaves

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. field — for sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. drill — army training
  5. field — a subject
  6. firm — steady
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. ball — a dance
  9. drill — a practice
  10. present — a gift
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. firm — decided
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. firm — a company
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — farmland
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ball — a great time
  24. present — there

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