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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: hide · race · board · nail · coach · capital · plane · cell

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — money
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. race — humankind
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. capital — a city
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. nail — on a finger

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