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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 116 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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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: lash · rule · charge · fine · field · leaves · kid · cell

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rule — government
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. charge — in control
  7. kid — child
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — all right
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. field — farmland
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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