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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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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: firm · pitcher · mine · degree · capital · board · rock · roll

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mine — for digging
  4. firm — steady
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. capital — a city
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — a list
  10. board — to get on
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. board — a committee
  16. roll — a cake
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — music
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. degree — an amount

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