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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: dip · capital · fan · pop · mine · suit · chest · pass

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — for digging
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pop — music
  11. pass — a permit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. capital — money
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — soda
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chest — a box
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — a sauce

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