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

Word bank: degree · key · deal · capital · pit · bowl

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. capital — a city
  4. key — for a lock
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — an amount
  9. key — in music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pit — in a race
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. deal — to handle
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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