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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · staff · kick · bore · present · coach · fine · mine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. present — a gift
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — the time now
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. present — there
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bore — to drill
  13. kick — in football
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mine — belonging to me

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