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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bass — low music
  10. ground — a position
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. degree — an amount
  14. branch — a division
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. capital — a city
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. plane — a tool
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. branch — of a tree

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