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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 120 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: object · hand · file · perch · field · rule · fall · firm

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fall — to drop
  3. perch — the fish
  4. file — a document
  5. field — for sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. firm — decided
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — help
  10. field — a subject
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — farmland
  13. firm — a company
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — a thing
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rule — a law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — an aim

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