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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: mine · ruler · degree · pitcher · coach · track · court · fine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. track — a path
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fine — high quality
  10. court — of law
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — temperature
  13. court — of a king
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — a song
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. court — for sport
  23. track — to keep track
  24. degree — an amount

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