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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: pound · rule · fan · last · bass · deal · coach · race

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. last — to go on
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rule — government
  5. race — a contest
  6. last — finally
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — humankind
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rule — a law
  17. race — the arms race
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. last — final
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. coach — a trainer

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