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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 120 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: straw · nail · ball · kick · chest · degree · coach · track

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — temperature
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. track — a path
  6. kick — in football
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chest — a box
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — a song
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ball — a dance
  17. track — to keep track
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a round shape

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