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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
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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: mark · coach · pop · season · sharp · chest · rush · degree

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chest — a box
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pop — soda
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — clever
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mark — a trace
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — of the year
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pop — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — in sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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