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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: degree · coach · last · nail · cap · kick · pitcher · ground

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — a position
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — finally
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — final
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — a lid
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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