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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: coach · present · rock · rule · game · cap · ground · rest

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a match
  10. present — the time now
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rule — government
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ground — the earth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rest — a break
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rule — a law
  24. present — there

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