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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: key · hand · coach · net · bound · racket · rule · sharp

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. key — in music
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — help
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bound — obliged
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — the most important part
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rule — government
  14. key — for a lock
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — tied together
  17. net — for catching
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rule — a law
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — in cards
  22. net — after costs
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — in sport

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