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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: suit · staff · arm · cabinet · field · game · bass · rest

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — farmland
  3. suit — to fit
  4. staff — employees
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — clothes
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — low music
  19. game — a match
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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