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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · row · mouse · land · suit · file · field · ruler

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. field — for sport
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. club — for dancing
  5. suit — clothes
  6. land — to come down
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. club — a group
  10. row — a line
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — a country
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — ground
  23. file — a tool
  24. suit — in cards

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