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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · club · rash · pound · coach · tube · jam · capital

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. degree — temperature
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. club — for dancing
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tube — a container
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — a group
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. club — for golf
  21. capital — a city
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rash — on the skin

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