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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · game · land · firm · bay · rule · capital · stand

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. capital — a city
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. spring — of water
  8. game — a match
  9. land — a country
  10. firm — steady
  11. rule — government
  12. game — wild animals
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — the season
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — decided
  22. stand — to bear
  23. rule — a law
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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