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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.

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: coach · key · sharp · bass · degree · field · suit · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. suit — clothes
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. degree — temperature
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. suit — to fit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. field — a subject
  20. suit — in cards
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bass — the fish
  23. field — for sport
  24. key — the most important part

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