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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kid — child
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chip — to eat
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. capital — money
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. suit — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — a city

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