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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: dip · pitch · capital · degree · face · chip · pound · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pitch — completely
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. degree — an amount
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. face — to confront
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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