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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: field · deal · rush · ground · hand · staff · ball · pitch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rush — hurry
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. staff — employees
  9. deal — to handle
  10. field — a subject
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitch — completely
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hand — in cards

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