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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: rule · mine · cell · rash · fine · cap · stick · wake

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rule — a law
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fine — all right
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rule — government
  24. cap — a lid

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