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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 120 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: saw · present · degree · wave · bass · ball · fan · cap

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — low music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ball — a dance
  7. present — a gift
  8. ball — a great time
  9. saw — the tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. present — the time now
  13. cap — a hat
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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