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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: firm · tear · plane · tube · capital · chair · pitcher · charge

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — a city
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. capital — money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chair — a leader
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. plane — a tool
  20. firm — steady
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — electricity
  24. capital — a big letter

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