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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.

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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: fine · can · kid · capital · degree · season · staff · rush

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fine — all right
  4. season — in sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. capital — a city
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. kid — to tease
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fine — high quality
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — child
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — a tin

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