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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: safe · degree · bass · net · mark · coach · court · patient

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — in sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — after costs
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — for sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. court — of law
  20. mark — a grade
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mark — to pay attention

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