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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: stick · degree · capital · coach · hide · drill

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. drill — army training
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — from a university
  17. capital — money
  18. degree — temperature

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