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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
468
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: fine · capital · bass · chair · sharp · stand · degree · cue

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — a city
  11. stand — to bear
  12. capital — money
  13. bass — low music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cue — for pool
  16. degree — temperature
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. degree — an amount

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