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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: bay · content · dip · capital · face · mark · straw · degree

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. dip — to sink
  6. degree — an amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. content — happy
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. content — the amount
  19. capital — a city
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a grade
  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