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

Word bank: club · bay · bound · race · perch · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — certain
  3. rule — a law
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. perch — the fish
  8. club — for golf
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. club — a group
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — tied together
  16. club — for dancing
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird

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