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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 · bound · club · firm · cold · bear · fall · court

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. court — of law
  4. club — for dancing
  5. court — for sport
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. firm — a company
  10. capital — money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bound — certain
  13. firm — steady
  14. fall — the season
  15. club — a group
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. capital — a city
  20. firm — decided
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. club — for golf
  24. cold — not warm

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