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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rest · ball · board · jam · coach · rule · file · lie

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. rule — a law
  8. board — a committee
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lie — to recline
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. file — a tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. file — a document

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