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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: face · coach · rule · cell · object · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rule — government
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. object — to protest
  7. rule — a law
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — a thing
  10. club — a group
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. object — an aim

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