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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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Word bank
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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: toast · current · degree · cell · coach · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. cell — a phone
  13. current — electric
  14. fall — the season
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — in biology
  17. toast — bread
  18. degree — from a university

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