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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: field · rest · ground · bowl · can · pit · content · wake

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ground — a position
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — in a race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rest — a break
  15. content — happy
  16. field — for sport
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ground — crushed
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — a subject
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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