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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: safe · cap · bass · calf · degree · roll · capital · last

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bass — the fish
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cap — of ice
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — an amount
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. roll — a list
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — finally
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bass — low music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cap — a hat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. capital — a city
  24. cap — a lid

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