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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · squash · shower · mug · firm · degree · pitch · root

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. shower — rain
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. capital — a city
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitch — completely
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. firm — steady
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. shower — to wash
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mug — to rob
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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