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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · scale · degree · can · coach · racket · roll · court

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — in music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of a king
  8. scale — size or range
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a list
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — a cake
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. court — for sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. degree — temperature
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. court — of law

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