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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · rule · coach · patient · ruler · game · field · row

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rule — a law
  4. field — farmland
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. field — a subject
  7. game — wild animals
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. rule — government
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — for sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — to rule out

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