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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: deal · craft · degree · board · game · rock · pitcher · capital

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. capital — a city
  4. degree — an amount
  5. board — a committee
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — temperature
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. craft — boats
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — music
  24. capital — money

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