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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · cold · stand · craft · rash · chair · can · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mug — to rob
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mug — a cup
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — a series
  11. capital — money
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. stand — to bear
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. can — a tin
  23. mug — a face
  24. rash — on the skin

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