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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: deal · nail · chip · rush · cap · degree · dip · bay

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chip — for betting
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chip — to eat
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cap — a hat
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cap — a lid
  24. dip — a sauce

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