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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: coach · drill · degree · content · pitch · ruler

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — temperature
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. content — happy
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. degree — an amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — the tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ruler — for measuring

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