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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 · race · last · lie · game · land · hide · fine

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fine — all right
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — to come down
  6. last — final
  7. race — a contest
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. race — the arms race
  10. game — wild animals
  11. race — humankind
  12. land — a country
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — ground
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — a match
  22. fine — high quality
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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