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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 116 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: tear · degree · object · rule · swing · coach

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rule — a law
  7. object — a thing
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tear — to rip
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — an aim
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. object — to protest
  17. swing — music
  18. tear — from crying

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