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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: coach · plane · mark · straw · clip · last · mate · ground

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — finally
  6. clip — to cut
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mate — a friend
  11. clip — a video
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mate — to breed
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. clip — for paper

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