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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: coach · bore · mate · game · shower · suit · clip · key

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mate — to breed
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — rain
  10. key — the most important part
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. suit — to fit
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bore — to drill
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mate — a partner
  19. shower — to wash
  20. suit — in cards
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mate — a friend
  24. key — in music

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