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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: coach · cold · bore · season · snap · last · lash · pitcher

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. last — finally
  8. cold — not warm
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bore — to tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. last — to go on
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. last — final

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