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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stand · lash · band · present · pitcher · fan · chair

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. band — a music group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. present — a gift
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. present — the time now
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. present — there

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