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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 116 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: content · rule · coach · bass · rash · last · kick · root

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — government
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. kick — in football
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. root — of a word
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rule — a law
  20. root — the cause
  21. rash — a series
  22. last — final
  23. coach — a trainer
  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