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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.

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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: foot · rash · cold · mark · degree · coach · bowl · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — temperature
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — a company
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. firm — decided
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mark — a grade
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rash — hasty
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rash — a series

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