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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: pitcher · mug · chest · capital · degree · cell · drill · leaves

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — temperature
  4. drill — army training
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in biology
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. drill — a practice
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. drill — the tool
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — of your body
  15. capital — money
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. chest — a box
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mug — a face
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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