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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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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: cell · coach · key · kick · bowl · shower · rule · degree

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rule — government
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. shower — rain
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cell — in biology
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kick — in football
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cell — a phone
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kick — with a leg

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