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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: pop · degree · chip · straw · pound · stem · pit · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pop — soda
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pit — in a race
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — for betting
  10. capital — a city
  11. pop — to visit
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pop — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pound — a weight
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stem — to come from
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chip — to eat

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