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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. capital — a city
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. stand — to bear
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. band — a music group
  16. fall — the season
  17. staff — a stick
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — music
  22. capital — money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — employees

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