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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — to play on
  9. last — finally
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ball — a great time
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — to go on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. saw — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — final
  24. fork — a garden tool

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