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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: rule · degree · cap · bowl · rest · bass

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rest — a break
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rule — a law
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bass — low music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rule — government
  18. rest — what's left

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