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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
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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: roll · rule · suit · field · dip · key · file · straw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. key — for a lock
  3. roll — a cake
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rule — a law
  6. roll — a list
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a document
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. suit — clothes
  12. key — in music
  13. suit — in cards
  14. field — for sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. suit — to fit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. file — a tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. rule — government
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to dunk

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