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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · coach · ball · perch · cold · rule · rush · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rule — a law
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rush — hurry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — an illness
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ball — a great time
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rule — government

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