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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: lean · coach · saw · chip · jam · degree · row · fine

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — all right
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. row — a line
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chip — to eat
  12. lean — thin
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lean — to bend
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fine — high quality
  22. row — to paddle
  23. coach — a trainer
  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