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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: coach · season · ruler · wound · ball · pit · last · degree

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. last — final
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — to go on

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