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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
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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: coach · clip · kick · pitcher · cue · drill · bat · jam

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — army training
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cue — a signal
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. drill — the tool
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bat — the animal
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. coach — a trainer

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