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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 116 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
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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: pitcher · staff · fan · content · fine · rush · field · drill

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. staff — employees
  3. fine — all right
  4. staff — a stick
  5. drill — a practice
  6. content — happy
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — employees
  10. fine — high quality
  11. drill — army training
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — the amount
  15. drill — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. field — a subject
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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