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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: can · pitcher · object · swing · ball · shower · coach · degree

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. degree — an amount
  11. object — to protest
  12. can — to be able to
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. object — a thing

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