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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chest — a box
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bat — the animal
  11. toast — bread
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stand — to bear
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bass — low music
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — the fish
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — the instrument

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