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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: saw · field · content · bat · net · scale · stand · rock

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. net — in sport
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — farmland
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. scale — in music
  10. content — happy
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. net — after costs
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — music
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — a subject
  23. net — for catching
  24. content — the amount

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