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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: key · foot · lean · degree · file · dip · ball · coach

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lean — to bend
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lean — thin
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. file — a document
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — in music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to sink

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