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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: season · date · coach · lie · bore · hand · clip · hide

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hand — help
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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