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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 · rule · track · clip · coach · mark · racket · bore

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. rule — a law
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. clip — for paper
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rule — government
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — to tire
  20. track — a path
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  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