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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: mark · rule · ball · craft · field · fall · lash · squash

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — farmland
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fall — the season
  12. field — for sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rule — a law
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fall — to drop
  22. craft — boats
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a dance

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