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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: cell · squash · cabinet · saw · march · coach · degree · racket

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — a phone
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — from a university
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cell — in biology
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — music

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