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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. bound — tied together
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bank — of a river
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kid — child
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — in sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — to come down
  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