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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: coach · mine · face · clip · object · kid · pit · safe

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. object — a thing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — part of the head
  9. object — to protest
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — for digging
  12. kid — child
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — to point toward
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. object — an aim
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — a video
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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