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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. degree — temperature
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. degree — from a university
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. chip — for betting
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. can — a tin

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