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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · mine · rash · coach · snap · fine · pass · court

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. degree — from a university
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fine — all right
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. court — for sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fine — high quality

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