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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: mate · coach · temple · rest · land · sharp · bay · race

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rest — a break
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — a country
  13. rest — what's left
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — ground
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rest — what's left
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — humankind
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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