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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: drill · club · staff · capital · pop · season · chip · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. season — in sport
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — to visit
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. chip — to eat
  11. suit — clothes
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — soda
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pop — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. club — a group
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chip — for betting
  21. club — for dancing
  22. season — of the year
  23. club — for golf
  24. suit — to fit

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