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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: drill · degree · coach · press · stand · rest

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. drill — army training
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stand — to bear
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — to push
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rest — what's left
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — the tool

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