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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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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: chip · capital · rock · ground · pitcher · date · cap · rash

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — of ice
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cap — a hat
  8. capital — a city
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ground — a position
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cap — a lid
  24. capital — money

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