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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: cabinet · mark · coach · can · degree · content · date · straw

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. degree — from a university
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — happy
  8. can — a tin
  9. content — the amount
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a grade
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — temperature
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. can — a tin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mark — to pay attention

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