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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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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: last · capital · root · chair · bound · nail · mark · suit

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. suit — clothes
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — of a word
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. capital — money
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chair — a leader
  16. root — the cause
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bound — obliged
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mark — a trace
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — to go on

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