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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: rule · cold · racket · wound · coach · bay · ground · suit

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rule — government
  6. ground — a position
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. suit — to fit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rule — a law
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ground — the earth

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