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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: club · chest · can · hide · ground · land · capital · stand

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stand — to bear
  6. club — a group
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ground — a position
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. land — a country
  12. capital — a city
  13. chest — a box
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — the earth
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — money
  20. land — ground
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — to come down
  24. club — for golf

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