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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.

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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: pit · kid · net · drill · degree · calf · mate · capital

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. drill — army training
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. net — after costs
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kid — child
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. capital — a city
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. capital — money
  23. calf — of the leg
  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