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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 116 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: coach · bass · rule · press · club · cold

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — for golf
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rule — government
  7. club — for dancing
  8. press — newspapers
  9. club — a group
  10. bass — low music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rule — a law
  16. press — to push
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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