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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 120 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: net · straw · drill · hide · firm · coach · degree · current

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. firm — a company
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. firm — steady
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. current — electric
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — happening now
  16. drill — army training
  17. current — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. drill — the tool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. firm — decided
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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