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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: pound · pass · degree · file · rash · snap · current · coach

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pound — a weight
  3. degree — from a university
  4. file — a document
  5. snap — to click
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. current — electric
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rash — a series
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. current — of water
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — temperature
  23. file — a tool
  24. pass — a permit

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