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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: rule · chest · board · bass · ruler · coach · sharp · spell

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. board — a committee
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — letters
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — a box
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rule — a law
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — magic
  23. board — to get on
  24. bass — low music

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