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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 · coach · last · nail · march · kid · safe · net

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. march — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mate — to breed
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — to tease
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — child
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — to go on
  24. mate — a partner

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