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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 120 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: mug · ground · can · bore · coach · clip · suit · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. mug — a cup
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. clip — for paper
  7. suit — to fit
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — to tire
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mug — a face
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — to be able to
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ground — a position
  20. kick — in football
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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