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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 120 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: chip · firm · wake · clip · bore · scale · degree · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. firm — a company
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — in music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. firm — decided
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — for paper
  18. firm — steady
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — an amount
  21. clip — a video
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — temperature
  24. scale — for weighing

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