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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: coach · pop · file · jam · degree · snap · bound · drill

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. pop — soda
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to click
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. file — a document
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. file — a tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pop — 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