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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: row · mug · stand · staff · cabinet · ball · suit · field

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. staff — employees
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — for sport
  5. suit — clothes
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stand — to bear
  12. row — a line
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mug — a cup
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — farmland
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mug — a face
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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