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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 · fine · saw · squash · net · march · field · date

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rule — government
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fine — all right
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. march — music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rule — a law
  17. net — after costs
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — farmland
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. march — the month

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