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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · fine · degree · shower · pitch · cap · capital · current

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cap — a hat
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — temperature
  7. capital — money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — rain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a city
  12. fine — high quality
  13. current — happening now
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitch — completely
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cap — a lid
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fine — all right
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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