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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: dip · capital · pitch · cell · perch · chip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. dip — to sink
  4. capital — a city
  5. chip — for betting
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitch — completely
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cell — in biology

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