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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 — certain
  2. rule — government
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — of a word
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — obliged
  9. face — to confront
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bound — tied together
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitch — completely
  18. root — the cause
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — a law
  23. mine — an explosive
  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