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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: degree · rush · key · pit · snap · hand · patient · coach

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — in music
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pit — in a race
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — for a lock

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