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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: toast · suit · field · capital · degree · calf · pound · temple

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. field — farmland
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. capital — a city
  5. pound — a weight
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. degree — an amount
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. field — for sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. capital — money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. degree — temperature
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. field — a subject
  21. degree — from a university
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  24. calf — of the leg

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