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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: band · file · cabinet · rule · date · clip · field · bowl

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. band — a music group
  12. file — a tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. rule — a law
  15. field — a subject
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — the fruit
  21. file — a document
  22. clip — a video
  23. band — a ring
  24. rule — government

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