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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: coach · rule · bound · capital · bat · bear · pass · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rule — government
  8. capital — a city
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rule — a law
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bear — the animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bear — to put up with

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