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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bank — for money
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cap — of ice
  14. last — final
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a document
  19. last — to go on
  20. cap — a hat
  21. file — a tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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