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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: saw · sharp · pop · net · degree · pit · can · coach

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. can — a tin
  8. net — in sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — clever
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pit — in a race
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. degree — temperature
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — for catching
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — music
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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