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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
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: key · cap · dip · degree · bass · cabinet · cell · game

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — for a lock
  7. game — a match
  8. key — in music
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cell — a phone
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cap — a hat
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cap — a lid
  24. degree — temperature

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