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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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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: mine · race · bay · hide · deal · land · chair · coach

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — the arms race
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — to come down
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — for digging
  17. race — a contest
  18. deal — to handle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. land — a country
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — ground
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — an agreement

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