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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fine · staff · key · field · squash · drill · cell · lean

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cell — in biology
  4. key — for a lock
  5. drill — army training
  6. lean — thin
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. field — a subject
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. key — in music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fine — high quality
  24. drill — the tool

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