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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 · net · spell · rule · bore · racket · field · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — in sport
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. field — farmland
  6. rule — government
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — for sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — a subject
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — a law
  19. net — after costs
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mate — a friend
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mate — to breed

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