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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: degree · straw · bass · suit · mark · track · cold · coach

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. suit — to fit
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mark — a grade
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. track — a song
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — low music
  15. suit — in cards
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cold — an illness
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. suit — clothes
  24. track — a path

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