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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: rule · face · cell · race · spell · coach · swing · stick

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in biology
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — the arms race
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. face — to confront
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — to point toward
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rule — government
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. swing — music
  21. rule — a law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — letters
  24. cell — in a prison

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