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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 · degree · shower · rule · ruler · court · mark · toast

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. toast — bread
  4. court — of a king
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mark — a trace
  12. shower — to wash
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. rule — government
  18. degree — an amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. shower — rain
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ruler — for measuring

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