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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.

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: capital · squash · stick · net · fine · rock · degree · press

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. degree — temperature
  3. capital — money
  4. rock — a stone
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fine — high quality
  7. degree — an amount
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — for catching
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. net — after costs
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — from a university
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. press — to push
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rock — music

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