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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · wound · degree · hide · mouse · present · cap · bass

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bass — low music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cap — a lid
  17. present — the time now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. bass — the fish

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