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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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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. degree — temperature
  3. present — the time now
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. degree — from a university
  9. drill — the tool
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. drill — a practice
  12. object — to protest
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. drill — army training
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pound — a weight
  20. object — a thing
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. object — an aim
  24. bowl — a dish

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