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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 · cap · cell · capital · kick · leaves · degree · stick

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cap — of ice
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cap — a hat
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kick — in football
  14. capital — a city
  15. bass — low music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cap — a lid
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. capital — money
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bass — the fish

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