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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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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 · bound · capital · pound · coach · deal

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pound — a weight
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. degree — an amount
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — a big letter

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