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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 120 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: board · kick · degree · saw · stock · coach · pop · straw

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stock — shares
  5. pop — soda
  6. board — a committee
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kick — in football
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pop — to visit
  19. degree — from a university
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. board — to get on
  24. stock — goods

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