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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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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: land · pitch · row · wake · rule · rash · hand · foot

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rule — government
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — a law
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — a country
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — to paddle
  16. hand — help
  17. land — ground
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitch — completely
  20. land — to come down
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hand — 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