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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: club · mate · degree · bat · wound · firm · present · capital

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. club — for golf
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. wound — an injury
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — a gift
  10. degree — from a university
  11. firm — decided
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — a city
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — money
  16. firm — a company
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — a group
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mate — to breed
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. firm — steady

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