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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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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: bound · chip · cold · rule · rush · net · coach · bore

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — for catching
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rule — a law
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rule — government
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — not warm
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — after costs
  22. bore — to tire
  23. net — in sport
  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