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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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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 · rule · snap · last · coach · march · cabinet · racket

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rule — government
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. last — final
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — the month
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — temperature
  18. snap — to click
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. degree — from a university

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