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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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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 · fine · bore · degree · jam · roll · mouse · cue

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — high quality
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. degree — temperature
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. degree — an amount
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fine — all right
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bore — to tire

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