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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
468
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: present · bear · current · rule · field · drill · key · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — government
  3. key — for a lock
  4. drill — a practice
  5. field — farmland
  6. key — the most important part
  7. present — the time now
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — in music
  13. present — a gift
  14. field — a subject
  15. staff — a stick
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — the tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — there
  21. current — electric
  22. rule — a law
  23. bear — the animal
  24. current — of water

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