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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.

Make a worksheet

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: clip · lash · coach · stand · key · court · degree · can

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. court — of a king
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. can — a tin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — for sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. court — of law

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