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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: fan · coach · suit · mark · ground · degree · rash · kick

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. suit — in cards
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ground — a position
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. degree — temperature
  14. kick — in football
  15. mark — a trace
  16. suit — clothes
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. coach — a trainer

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