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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: pop · spell · game · rule · coach · last · kick · face

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — soda
  4. face — to confront
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rule — a law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — final
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — music
  12. last — finally
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — wild animals
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — in football
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — magic
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rule — government
  21. spell — letters
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kick — with a leg

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