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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: bat · pound · toast · capital · degree · cabinet · lash · mark

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mark — a trace
  24. capital — a city

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