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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: key · content · cabinet · land · net · mark · bore · present

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — a country
  3. present — the time now
  4. net — after costs
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mark — a trace
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. land — ground
  14. key — in music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. present — there
  17. key — for a lock
  18. net — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — happy
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — a gift

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