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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 · bore · coach · mark · chest · present · vault · lash

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chest — a box
  13. kick — in football
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. present — there
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mark — a grade
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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