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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: foot · band · board · net · capital · degree · can · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. can — to be able to
  3. capital — money
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. band — a ring
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — an amount
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. band — a music group
  15. degree — from a university
  16. can — a tin
  17. rest — a break
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — a city

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