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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: mate · field · tear · mug · ball · net · roll · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. roll — a list
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — in sport
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — for catching
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mug — a face
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mate — a friend

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