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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: bass · cue · fan · bound · capital · degree · sharp · deal

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cue — a hint
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. degree — from a university
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cue — for pool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — a city
  24. sharp — clever

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