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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
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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: capital · press · object · temple · cap · bank · degree · squash

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. press — to push
  3. object — a thing
  4. cap — a lid
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. degree — an amount
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. squash — to crush
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. capital — a city
  11. cap — a hat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bank — for money
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bank — of a river
  19. capital — money
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — temperature
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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