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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: pass · staff · bore · craft · cell · kick · coach · march

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kick — in football
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. staff — a stick
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bore — to drill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. staff — employees

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