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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: cabinet · field · current · kick · staff · land · bore · ball

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — of water
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. field — farmland
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ball — a great time
  8. current — happening now
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — in football
  12. current — electric
  13. field — a subject
  14. ball — a dance
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to drill
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bore — to tire
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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