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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.

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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: sharp · kick · bowl · degree · stick · fall · deal · capital

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. kick — in football
  3. capital — money
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. deal — to handle
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. capital — a city
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kick — a thrill

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