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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: net · lash · drill · row · rule · can · field · sharp

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. can — a tin
  4. rule — a law
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rule — government
  7. net — after costs
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. field — a subject
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — for catching
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. net — in sport
  24. row — a line

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