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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 120 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: cabinet · cell · field · staff · drill · racket

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. 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. drill — army training
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — a practice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — for sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. 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