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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: coach · pitcher · mouse · stock · rush · degree · can · kick

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stock — goods
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — shares
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — a tin

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