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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 116 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: nail · court · mine · lie · coach · race · cell · sharp

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. race — the arms race
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — of law
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mine — for digging

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