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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.

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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: staff · file · nail · field · spell · suit · court · race

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. court — of law
  3. field — a subject
  4. file — a document
  5. race — humankind
  6. staff — employees
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. staff — employees
  10. suit — to fit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. field — farmland
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — for sport
  15. suit — clothes
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — a contest
  20. suit — in cards
  21. court — of a king
  22. file — a tool
  23. court — for sport
  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