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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 · field · wave · cap · nail · mate · kick · degree

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — for sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. degree — from a university
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mate — a friend
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — a subject
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — a hat
  24. nail — on a finger

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