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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: present · roll · coach · bore · cell · last · wake · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. present — the time now
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. last — to go on
  15. present — a gift
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. present — there
  18. roll — a list
  19. last — finally
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bore — to tire
  22. last — final
  23. wake — a trail
  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