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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: file · coach · mate · roll · rush · pitch · swing · degree

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a line of people
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. degree — from a university
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. file — a document
  11. swing — to play on
  12. file — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rush — hurry
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. degree — temperature
  23. roll — a list
  24. degree — an amount

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