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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: squash · net · drill · mug · deal · chip · cap · field

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — farmland
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — a face
  6. field — a subject
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. field — for sport
  12. mug — to rob
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mug — a cup
  15. drill — army training
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chip — for betting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cap — a lid
  24. drill — a practice

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