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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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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: cap · capital · kick · drill · racket · rash · dip · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cap — a lid
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. capital — money
  15. drill — army training
  16. capital — a city
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. dip — to sink
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. racket — for tennis

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