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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.

Make a worksheet

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: degree · capital · band · pitch · staff · leaves · fan · rest

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — money
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitch — completely
  6. band — a music group
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — an amount
  10. staff — a stick
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rest — a break
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rest — what's left
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. staff — employees
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — a supporter

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