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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 116 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 · last · clip · lie · snap · fine · object · file

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fine — high quality
  3. object — to protest
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. object — a thing
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. file — a tool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lie — to recline
  12. clip — for paper
  13. last — finally
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. object — an aim
  16. file — a line of people
  17. last — to go on
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a document
  21. last — final
  22. fine — all right
  23. snap — to click
  24. coach — a trainer

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