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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.

Make a worksheet

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: can · capital · mine · bass · degree · cue · mouse · snap

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. capital — money
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. bass — low music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mine — for digging
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cue — for pool

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