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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.

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: bay · mate · bat · mine · mug · lash · coach · drill

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mug — a face
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — to breed
  24. drill — army training

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