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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: bore · swing · wound · coach · bowl · land · rush · rule

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rule — a law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. swing — music
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wound — an injury
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — to come down
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rule — government
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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