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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 120 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: bear · rule · last · clip · staff · lie · coach · land

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. clip — a video
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. land — a country
  10. clip — to cut
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. land — ground
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — a stick
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — finally

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