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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: key · rule · coach · rash · staff · field · file · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — farmland
  6. file — a line of people
  7. field — a subject
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — a series
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — a law
  12. field — for sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — government
  20. spell — magic
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a document
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. staff — a stick

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