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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: date · bank · track · bat · degree · pitcher · mark · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bank — of a river
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bank — for money
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — temperature
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — a path
  24. bat — in an idiom

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