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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: last · wind · racket · field · key · staff · ball · fall

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — in music
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ball — a dance
  7. field — a subject
  8. staff — a stick
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fall — the season
  12. field — for sport
  13. last — finally
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — to go on
  16. staff — employees
  17. wind — moving air
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fall — to drop
  21. last — final
  22. ball — a great time
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — for a lock

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