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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 · bowl · degree · spring · rule · pop · nail · charge

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. charge — in control
  5. degree — an amount
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — a law
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. charge — a price
  11. spring — of water
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pop — to visit
  14. charge — electricity
  15. degree — temperature
  16. spring — the season
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. capital — money

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