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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: net · row · can · pass · bear · chair · capital · cold

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. row — to paddle
  7. capital — a city
  8. net — in sport
  9. cold — an illness
  10. row — a line
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. can — a tin
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bear — to put up with

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