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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: content · bay · squash · net · field · stand · drill · stick

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — farmland
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. content — happy
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. drill — army training
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. net — in sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. content — the amount
  19. net — for catching
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. drill — the tool

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