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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.

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: rest · degree · staff · mark · coach · game · charge · mine

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mark — a grade
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — a match
  9. rest — what's left
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rest — a break
  12. staff — employees
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — for digging
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. game — wild animals

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