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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 · mouse · degree · file · pitcher · rush · object · chest

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chest — of your body
  3. object — a thing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chest — of your body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. object — an aim
  9. file — a document
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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