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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: rest · rule · coach · pound · fan · swing · row · ground

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rule — government
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pound — a weight
  12. row — to paddle
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rest — a break
  16. swing — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pound — for dogs

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