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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: clip · snap · coach · file · tube · mate · pitcher · march

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a line of people
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mate — a friend
  12. clip — to cut
  13. file — a tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a document
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. clip — a video
  24. march — 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