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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 116 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: wake · cell · mate · degree · bay · clip · coach · bat

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — to breed
  11. clip — a video
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mate — a partner
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bay — a horse colour

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