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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 116 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: drill · content · chip · bank · ball · nail · field · face

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bank — of a river
  5. field — for sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. drill — army training
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — for money
  10. chip — for betting
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. content — the amount
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a dance
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — a subject
  20. content — happy
  21. chip — to eat
  22. drill — a practice
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ball — a great time

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