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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. net — in sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. degree — an amount
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. firm — a company
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — certain
  12. swing — in golf
  13. plane — a tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — tied together
  16. swing — to play on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — a contest
  19. degree — temperature
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. swing — music
  23. firm — steady
  24. net — for catching

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