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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 120 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: chip · capital · shower · stand · tube · wake · deal · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. capital — money
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. shower — rain
  9. stand — to bear
  10. court — for sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. deal — to handle
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. court — of a king
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wake — a trail
  24. capital — a city

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