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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: coach · key · rule · hide · bound · bass · rash · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — low music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rule — government
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. key — in music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fine — all right
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fine — a penalty

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