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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: game · mate · wake · bore · lash · cap · coach · cell

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mate — a partner
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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