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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 · nail · kick · bound · row · game · mine · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bound — certain
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — obliged
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lie — to recline
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — to paddle
  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