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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: rush · field · bulb · kick · march · rest · dip · rule

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rule — government
  6. bulb — for light
  7. march — the month
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — a break
  23. field — farmland
  24. rule — a law

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