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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: fork · season · board · bowl · degree · land · ball · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. capital — a city
  5. degree — temperature
  6. board — to get on
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — a committee
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. land — to come down
  13. capital — money
  14. fork — in a road
  15. season — in sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. degree — an amount
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. ball — a dance
  22. degree — from a university
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ball — a great time

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