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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 120 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: land · staff · racket · current · key · game · drill · track

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. key — for a lock
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — wild animals
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. key — the most important part
  7. track — a song
  8. land — ground
  9. current — happening now
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — a path
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — army training
  15. current — electric
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. current — of water
  19. drill — a practice
  20. game — a match
  21. key — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. drill — the tool
  24. land — to come down

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