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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: drill · staff · track · roll · row · ball · net · season

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. track — a path
  3. roll — a cake
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — to keep track
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ball — a great time
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. track — a song
  13. ball — a dance
  14. season — of the year
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. drill — army training
  22. season — in sport
  23. roll — a list
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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