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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: suit · pass · toast · rash · capital · content · chair · cold

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cold — an illness
  7. content — the amount
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. suit — clothes
  10. capital — money
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. toast — bread
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. chair — a leader
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. pass — a permit
  19. rash — hasty
  20. content — happy
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. capital — a city
  23. cold — not warm
  24. chair — to sit on

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