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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
468
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: kick · stock · pitcher · fall · capital · degree · can · arm

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kick — in football
  3. stock — shares
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. degree — temperature
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stock — goods
  14. can — a tin
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. can — a tin
  18. capital — a city
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. capital — a big letter

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