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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
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 · rest · cabinet · last · net · drill · stand · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stand — to bear
  4. drill — the tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. capital — a city
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — finally
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — to go on
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. drill — a practice
  18. last — final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. capital — money
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. drill — army training

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