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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
468
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: row · rule · lash · cold · field · foot · can · fine

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rule — government
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. field — for sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rule — a law
  9. field — farmland
  10. can — a tin
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — a line
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fine — all right
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. can — to be able to

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