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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: field · cue · roll · staff · lash · court · land · stand

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — farmland
  8. land — ground
  9. staff — employees
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. court — for sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. court — of a king
  14. land — a country
  15. staff — a stick
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. land — to come down
  20. court — of law
  21. cue — for pool
  22. roll — a list
  23. cue — a hint
  24. lash — to lash out

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