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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bass — low music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. swing — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mate — to breed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fall — to drop

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