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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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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: chip · rule · coach · stick · toast · fork · roll · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. roll — a list
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rule — government
  13. roll — a cake
  14. club — for golf
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. toast — bread
  18. chip — to eat
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. club — a group

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