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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: degree · fall · capital · chest · pitcher · season · lash · lie

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fall — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — money
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chest — of your body
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. degree — temperature
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — of the year
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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