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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. toast — bread
  4. hand — in cards
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — to fit
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — a subject
  9. rule — government
  10. suit — clothes
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — army training
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — a law
  20. staff — employees
  21. file — a document
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. suit — in cards

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