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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: suit · capital · pop · row · ground · stand · plane · pitcher

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. suit — to fit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. plane — a tool
  9. capital — money
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pop — music
  17. row — a line
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — soda
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. capital — a city
  24. row — to paddle

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