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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: rule · current · staff · ground · field · net · safe · bat

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — a stick
  3. ground — a position
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. current — happening now
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ground — the earth
  14. current — electric
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. field — farmland
  17. current — of water
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — a law
  20. net — in sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rule — government
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. staff — employees

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