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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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. spell — letters
  4. track — a path
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. track — a song
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — magic
  12. degree — temperature
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spell — a short time
  15. key — the most important part
  16. board — to get on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — from a university
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — a committee
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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