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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: bore · track · coach · snap · safe · wind · cold · pitcher

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bore — to tire
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — to drill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — a path
  24. pitcher — a jug

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