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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: net · stock · ball · march · drill · wound · field · chip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. net — after costs
  8. drill — army training
  9. chip — for betting
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. march — the month
  14. field — farmland
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stock — goods
  18. net — in sport
  19. march — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chip — to eat
  24. field — a subject

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