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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: fine · race · jam · bark · coach · cell · club · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cell — in biology
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. race — humankind
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cell — a phone
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. bark — to shout
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fine — high quality
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fine — all right
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. race — a contest
  23. rule — government
  24. cell — in a prison

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