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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
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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: net · dip · capital · date · degree · craft · present · bass

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. date — the fruit
  4. present — the time now
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. degree — an amount
  7. craft — boats
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — the fish
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. net — for catching
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. present — there
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. net — in sport
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. present — a gift
  20. bass — low music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. capital — money
  23. degree — temperature
  24. dip — to sink

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