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

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. chip — for betting
  3. capital — money
  4. suit — in cards
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. capital — a city
  18. fall — to drop
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. court — of law
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. suit — clothes
  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