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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · coach · degree · last · cell · pit

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. last — final
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. last — to go on
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer

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