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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: degree · drill · row · mate · toast · capital · vault · hand

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. drill — a practice
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mate — a partner
  5. capital — a city
  6. degree — from a university
  7. toast — bread
  8. capital — money
  9. mate — to breed
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mate — a friend
  14. row — a line
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — army training
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. drill — the tool
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — help
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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