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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: temple · coach · fine · degree · hand · roll · mine · cue

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. hand — help
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. roll — a cake
  8. degree — an amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. mine — for digging
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. roll — a list
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cue — a signal

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