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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · chip · capital · sharp · dip · ball · racket · straw

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. degree — temperature
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. degree — from a university
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chip — to eat
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ball — a dance

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