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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · degree · coach · wind · row · bank · game · pitcher

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bank — of a river
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — temperature
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wind — moving air
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. game — a match
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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