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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 · track · pass · club · staff · pitcher · fan · squash

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pass — a permit
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. track — a path
  16. club — a group
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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