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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: bass · dip · jam · plane · sharp · capital · tube · degree

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. capital — a city
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. degree — an amount
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. plane — a tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tube — a container
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. sharp — clever
  23. degree — from a university
  24. plane — in geometry

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