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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 120 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: root · file · rule · craft · field · mate · chest · pass

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. root — of a word
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pass — a permit
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — farmland
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chest — a box
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. file — a tool
  15. mate — to breed
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chest — of your body
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mate — a friend
  20. file — a document
  21. rule — a law
  22. field — for sport
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. root — the cause

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