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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. degree — temperature
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — decided
  6. capital — a city
  7. saw — the tool
  8. firm — a company
  9. land — to come down
  10. degree — an amount
  11. object — a thing
  12. charge — a price
  13. firm — steady
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. land — a country
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — in control
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. degree — from a university

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