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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · clip · coach · drill · bat · wave · cue · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. dip — to sink
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. clip — a video
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. drill — army training

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