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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · mine · pitch · staff · object · field · ground · spell

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ground — a position
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spell — letters
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. field — a subject
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — a thing
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. object — to protest
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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