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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: temple · lash · degree · capital · cap · present · bass · mate

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cap — a hat
  6. degree — an amount
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mate — a friend
  9. present — a gift
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — the time now
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cap — a lid
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — a partner
  19. degree — from a university
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. present — there
  23. capital — a city
  24. bass — low music

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