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

Word bank: firm · club · kid · capital · date · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kid — to tease
  5. firm — a company
  6. club — for golf
  7. capital — money
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. firm — steady
  13. club — a group
  14. date — the fruit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. firm — decided
  18. kid — child

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