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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: key · mine · ground · field · content · safe · wake · net

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — for catching
  7. mine — for digging
  8. field — a subject
  9. content — the amount
  10. field — for sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. content — happy
  21. key — for a lock
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — a trail

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