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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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. pitch — a sports field
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — a weight
  19. game — a match
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pound — to hit hard

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