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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: coach · can · degree · charge · track · mine · cue · race

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. degree — from a university
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. track — a path
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cue — for pool
  14. race — a contest
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — a song
  17. race — humankind
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — electricity

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