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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: rush · content · safe · land · mine · last · coach · stand

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — ground
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. last — final
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. land — a country
  12. last — finally
  13. content — the amount
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — happy
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — to go on
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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