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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: swing · degree · mine · stick · march · coach · suit · pit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. swing — music
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. suit — clothes
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. swing — to play on
  14. march — the month
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pit — a hole
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — music
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mine — for digging
  23. degree — temperature
  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