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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · safe · plane · ball · bulb · spell · cold · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ball — a great time
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — letters
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. spell — a short time
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cold — an illness
  19. spell — magic
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. plane — a tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. coach — a trainer

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