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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: nail · ball · shower · degree · capital · toast · lie · root

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — rain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. shower — to wash
  11. root — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — an amount
  15. toast — bread
  16. ball — a dance
  17. degree — from a university
  18. root — the cause
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. capital — money
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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