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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: mate · chair · snap · toast · bore · coach · net · file

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — a leader
  4. net — in sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bore — to drill
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mate — a partner
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to click
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. file — a document
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bore — to tire
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chair — to sit on

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