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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: hide · kid · degree · coach · last · fan · nail · saw

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. last — to go on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. last — finally
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — final

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