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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 120 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: rest · content · hide · field · net · fine · saw · ground

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — the amount
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — a subject
  6. ground — the earth
  7. content — happy
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — for sport
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — after costs

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