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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: toast · bowl · key · bark · degree · coach · hide · cap

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. toast — bread
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bark — to shout
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. key — for a lock
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cap — a hat

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