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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: cabinet · bay · field · staff · ground · straw · mine · chair

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. field — farmland
  3. mine — for digging
  4. field — for sport
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. field — a subject
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — a position
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bay — a horse colour

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