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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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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: capital · chip · suit · cabinet · fork · club

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. capital — a city
  4. club — for golf
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fork — in a road
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. suit — to fit
  12. capital — money
  13. club — a group
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cabinet — ministers

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