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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: coach · degree · saw · hide · cabinet · pass · root · last

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — to go on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. last — finally
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. root — the cause
  24. last — final

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