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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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Word bank
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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: mine · pit · perch · rule · bound · hand · coach · dip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a hole
  11. perch — the fish
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. hand — help
  23. perch — for a bird
  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