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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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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: kid · lie · lash · court · mine · root · rule · field

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. root — of a plant
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — child
  6. field — farmland
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. court — of law
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — for sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rule — a law
  17. court — of a king
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rule — government
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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