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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: bound · mine · capital · stick · degree · safe · race · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — from a university
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bass — low music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. capital — a city
  11. race — humankind
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. race — a contest
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. race — the arms race
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bound — certain

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