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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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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: fan · cap · pitch · stand · stick · chair · tear · capital

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chair — a leader
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stand — to bear
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. capital — a city
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stand — on your feet

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