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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 · bear · temple · capital · roll · sharp · degree · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. roll — a list
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pass — a permit
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bear — the animal
  16. roll — a cake
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bear — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. capital — a city

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