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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: date · pass · degree · chest · rush · key · coach · bore

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chest — a box
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. key — the most important part
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — hurry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. key — in music
  24. degree — from a university

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