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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: degree · row · capital · deal · pitcher · bay · lean · toast

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — temperature
  10. capital — a city
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. degree — from a university
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. capital — money
  21. row — a line
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. degree — an amount
  24. toast — the most admired

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