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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
468
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: rush · degree · coach · mine · straw · lean · pound · pitch

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lean — thin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rush — hurry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lean — to rest against

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