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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: chest · suit · row · dip · coach · degree · bass · rest

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. suit — in cards
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chest — a box
  7. row — a line
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. row — to paddle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — low music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rest — a break
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. suit — clothes
  24. dip — to sink

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