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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: file · field · date · board · last · rule · row · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a document
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rule — government
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — to go on
  11. board — to get on
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a line of people
  16. date — the fruit
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. field — for sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. board — a committee
  22. file — a tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. row — a line

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