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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: dip · capital · bound · stand · cabinet · drill · squash · degree

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — certain
  5. squash — to crush
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bound — obliged
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — money
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. degree — temperature
  13. drill — a practice
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — to sink
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — an amount

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