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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: swing · key · game · object · coach · kid · wax · degree

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. object — an aim
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. kid — child
  7. object — to protest
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — for a lock
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wax — to grow
  18. object — a thing
  19. swing — music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — in golf
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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