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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: coach · rule · wound · field · current · ground · file · staff

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — farmland
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ground — the earth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — a subject
  10. current — happening now
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. wound — an injury
  18. current — electric
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. staff — a stick
  21. current — of water
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — for sport
  24. ground — a position

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