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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: press · cabinet · degree · track · ground · club · coach · field

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ground — a position
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — for sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. field — farmland
  10. track — a path
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — a song
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — from a university
  17. press — to push
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. club — a group
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  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