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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: pit · pass · spring · degree · chip · coach · firm · wake

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chip — for betting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. firm — a company
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — of water
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — the season
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. degree — temperature
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pit — a hole
  18. firm — decided
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. firm — steady
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pit — in a race

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