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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: mate · pop · stick · capital · net · degree · calf · lie

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — from a university
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — to visit
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — in sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pop — soda
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mate — to breed
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — a young animal

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