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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: game · bound · degree · object · nail · coach · lash · key

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. object — to protest
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — for a lock
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — in music
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bound — tied together
  17. degree — temperature
  18. object — a thing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. object — an aim
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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