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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: field · cell · charge · fine · rash · rush · toast · file

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. file — a document
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. charge — in control
  6. field — for sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. toast — bread
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. charge — a price
  13. field — a subject
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rash — a series
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — farmland

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