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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fine — high quality
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. capital — money
  11. degree — an amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. capital — a city
  24. mate — to breed

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