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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: rule · file · charge · cold · land · cap · field · rush

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. cap — a hat
  3. charge — a price
  4. file — a document
  5. cold — not warm
  6. charge — in control
  7. rule — a law
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — for sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. land — a country
  14. field — farmland
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — ground
  18. file — a tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. field — a subject
  21. rule — government
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — to come down
  24. cap — of ice

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