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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: calf · degree · pitch · lie · fall · straw · capital · charge

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — in control
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — money
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. capital — a city
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — the season
  20. pitch — completely
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — temperature

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