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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 120 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: chair · degree · coach · object · cue · bark · ground · deal

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chair — a leader
  14. object — to protest
  15. cue — for pool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. degree — an amount
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — from a university
  24. coach — a trainer

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