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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bound — tied together
  6. land — to come down
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bound — certain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rule — government
  12. land — ground
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bound — obliged
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pit — in a race
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — a country
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rule — a law
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — for measuring

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