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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.

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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: degree · chest · rock · coach · field · hide · lie · ruler

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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. ruler — a monarch
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — from a university
  6. field — farmland
  7. rock — a stone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rock — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — a subject
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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