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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: fan · ruler · land · coach · bound · march · roll · last

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. roll — a list
  5. bound — obliged
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — to come down
  8. march — the month
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — the month
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. roll — a cake
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — music

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