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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: ball · degree · straw · chip · drill · bore · land · coach

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chip — for betting
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. drill — army training
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — to come down
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — a country
  19. drill — the tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chip — to eat

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