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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 116 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: stick · cell · bowl · pitcher · capital · chair · degree · can

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. can — a tin
  7. degree — an amount
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — a phone
  14. capital — money
  15. can — a tin
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. capital — a city
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a leader
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bowl — to roll

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