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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: club · chair · bay · stand · pitcher · capital · can · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. club — a group
  4. chair — a leader
  5. can — a tin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. can — a tin
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. degree — an amount
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. can — to be able to

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