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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
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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: rush · rule · saw · date · rash · cabinet · content · cell

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — the amount
  4. rush — hurry
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rule — a law
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. content — happy
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — hasty
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rule — government
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — a series
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — to hurry

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