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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: coach · court · ground · degree · snap · bound · bank · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bank — of a river
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. degree — from a university
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. court — of law
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — a position
  15. degree — temperature
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bound — certain
  18. degree — an amount
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — for money
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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