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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
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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 · band · court · file · temple · press · drill · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — to push
  5. drill — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a ring
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. mate — a friend
  12. court — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. band — a music group
  15. file — a line of people
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — a partner
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. press — a publisher
  22. court — of law
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — newspapers

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