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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: date · track · pop · degree · squash · coach · rule · roll

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — to keep track
  3. squash — the sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. track — a song
  6. roll — a list
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — a path
  11. pop — to visit
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pop — music
  18. roll — a cake
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. pop — soda
  24. degree — an amount

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