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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: mark · land · drill · cell · coach · content · rest · mate

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. drill — a practice
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. land — a country
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mate — a friend
  19. content — happy
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mate — to breed
  23. drill — army training
  24. land — ground

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