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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: land · rule · net · current · object · field · ruler · row

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. current — of water
  3. net — after costs
  4. rule — government
  5. land — to come down
  6. object — a thing
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — in sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. field — a subject
  12. land — a country
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. row — to paddle
  15. current — electric
  16. field — farmland
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — a line
  19. land — ground
  20. current — happening now
  21. rule — a law
  22. object — an aim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. object — to protest

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