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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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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: board · capital · wake · firm · cell · lean · pass · suit

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. suit — clothes
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. firm — a company
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. firm — decided
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. board — a committee
  12. wake — a trail
  13. firm — steady
  14. board — to get on
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pass — a permit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. lean — thin
  19. suit — to fit
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. capital — money
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pass — to spend time

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