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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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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 · bowl · kick · capital · deal · key · chest · stand

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. degree — temperature
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — a box
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — money
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stand — to bear
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. capital — a city
  24. kick — a thrill

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