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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: pop · coach · degree · deal · bay · kick · content · hand

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kick — in football
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pop — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. content — the amount
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pop — soda
  17. hand — help
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — happy
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. degree — temperature
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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