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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 120 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 · root · coach · fine · cell · racket · cue · last

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — a hint
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rule — government
  11. last — final
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. root — the cause
  16. last — to go on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — a phone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — a law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fine — high quality
  24. root — of a word

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