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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 116 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: coach · field · key · land · deal · degree · bore · row

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bore — to drill
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. key — in music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. deal — to handle
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bore — to tire
  11. field — farmland
  12. land — to come down
  13. degree — from a university
  14. field — a subject
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. key — the most important part
  17. row — a line
  18. land — ground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — for sport
  21. land — a country
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — a trainer

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