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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 · deal · last · rule · ground · rest · present · spell

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. last — to go on
  6. present — there
  7. rule — government
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. present — a gift
  14. last — finally
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. present — the time now
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. last — final
  21. rule — a law
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ground — a position
  24. rest — a break

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