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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 120 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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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: lash · pitch · degree · row · fall · nail · pit · capital

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — money
  3. fall — the season
  4. pit — a hole
  5. row — a line
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — a city
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. nail — for a hammer

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