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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: mug · pitch · degree · wave · capital · jam · perch · race

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. race — a contest
  7. capital — money
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — completely
  11. capital — a city
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. race — humankind
  18. mug — a face
  19. degree — an amount
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — of the sea

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