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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: mouse · coach · deal · straw · degree · scale · track · pop

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — soda
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. track — a song
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — a path
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. degree — from a university
  16. scale — in music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. degree — an amount
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pop — to visit

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