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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.

Make a worksheet

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: staff · degree · coach · scale · ground · mug · march · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ground — crushed
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — to rob
  12. staff — employees
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. march — music
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. staff — a stick
  21. degree — from a university
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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