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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: bass · file · degree · drill · coach · bay · fan · rash

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a document
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rash — a series
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bass — low music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. drill — army training
  19. file — a tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bass — the fish

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