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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: clip · hand · key · degree · rush · coach · suit · root

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. suit — to fit
  4. hand — in cards
  5. root — of a plant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. degree — an amount
  9. root — of a word
  10. suit — in cards
  11. key — in music
  12. rush — hurry
  13. key — for a lock
  14. clip — to cut
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — for paper
  18. hand — help
  19. suit — clothes
  20. key — the most important part
  21. root — the cause
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. degree — temperature

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