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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · bore · ball · coach · nail · clip · fork · chest

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chest — a box
  10. ball — a great time
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mug — a cup
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chest — of your body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mug — a face
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — on a finger

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