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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: charge · lash · shower · rule · can · clip · field · fine

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fine — all right
  3. charge — in control
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. rule — government
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — for sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fine — high quality
  14. field — farmland
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. can — a tin
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. shower — rain
  20. charge — electricity
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. rule — a law

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