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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: content · drill · fall · press · field · sharp · band · ball

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. band — a ring
  3. fall — to drop
  4. field — for sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. press — a publisher
  9. drill — army training
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. field — farmland
  18. fall — the season
  19. press — to push
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. content — happy
  22. drill — a practice
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a great time

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