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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 · toast · mug · degree · ground · snap · object · shower

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mug — a cup
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mug — to rob
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ground — the earth
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to click
  13. shower — rain
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. degree — temperature
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. object — a thing
  18. toast — bread
  19. ground — crushed
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mug — a face
  22. degree — from a university
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. object — an aim

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