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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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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: capital · lean · object · roll · degree · cue · stand · can

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. roll — a cake
  3. can — a tin
  4. lean — thin
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — a thing
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. stand — to bear
  11. can — a tin
  12. cue — a hint
  13. capital — money
  14. cue — for pool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. object — to protest
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cue — a signal
  24. degree — from a university

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