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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: can · roll · degree · land · last · coach · season · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — finally
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — in sport
  6. degree — from a university
  7. roll — a cake
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — to go on
  10. roll — a list
  11. can — a tin
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — of the year
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — temperature
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. land — to come down
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — a country
  22. last — final
  23. can — to be able to
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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