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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: kick · mate · fine · coach · nail · mine · tear · file

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a tool
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mate — a friend
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fine — all right
  14. mate — to breed
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kick — in football
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tear — from crying
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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