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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: rule · land · bat · fall · track · rock · pound · coach

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — a country
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. track — a path
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — music
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — the season
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rule — government
  22. track — to keep track
  23. land — ground
  24. pound — for dogs

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