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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: ball · staff · kick · jam · degree · coach · board · content

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. board — to get on
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — a committee
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. board — a flat piece

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