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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: deal · safe · file · cabinet · stand · row · field · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — for sport
  4. deal — to handle
  5. file — a tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. row — to paddle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a line of people
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. file — a document
  20. field — farmland
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stand — on your feet

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