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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · perch · date · fall · suit · coach · chair · current

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. suit — clothes
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. suit — in cards
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — to drop
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. capital — money
  15. current — happening now
  16. suit — to fit
  17. date — the fruit
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit 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