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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: degree · deal · bass · capital · bear · pit · foot · ground

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. capital — money
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ground — a position
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. pit — a hole
  10. foot — a measure
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — to handle
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ground — crushed
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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