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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: nail · net · bark · date · drill · mate · key · field

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. key — for a lock
  3. drill — army training
  4. mate — a partner
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. field — a subject
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. net — after costs
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mate — to breed
  18. drill — a practice
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. field — farmland
  21. net — in sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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