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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · spell · lie · jam · bowl · capital

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lie — to recline
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. degree — temperature
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — from a university
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lie — an untruth

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