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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
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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: fan · track · coach · chair · degree · cue · date · bark

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bark — to shout
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a leader
  15. track — a song
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cue — a signal

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