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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 116 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: sharp · chair · degree · pass · stand · mine · current · capital

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stand — to bear
  5. capital — a city
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. current — electric
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. capital — money
  14. chair — a leader
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. current — of water
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — happening now
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pass — a permit

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