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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: club · cell · mate · object · rock · rule · spell · bass

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — music
  8. spell — letters
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rule — government
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — magic
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. club — a group
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. spell — a short time
  23. club — for golf
  24. bass — the instrument

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