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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: capital · pop · pass · fine · row · plane · jam · chest

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chest — of your body
  4. capital — money
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pass — a permit
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pop — music
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chest — a box
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — to visit
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pass — to spend time

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