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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · lash · field · ball · rule · rash · fall · date

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — hasty
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — a series
  13. fall — to drop
  14. date — the fruit
  15. field — for sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — the season
  19. content — happy
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. content — the amount
  24. rule — to rule out

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