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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — obliged
  3. present — the time now
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. net — after costs
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — a law
  10. present — there
  11. bound — tied together
  12. row — a line
  13. rule — government
  14. net — in sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bound — certain
  17. rest — a break
  18. present — a gift
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — for catching
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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