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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.

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: pitch · fan · mark · lie · capital · calf · wound · degree

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitch — completely
  13. capital — money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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