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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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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: chip · capital · object · game · perch · press · wake · stand

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wake — a trail
  11. object — a thing
  12. stand — to bear
  13. game — a match
  14. object — to protest
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. press — to push
  19. chip — to eat
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — wild animals
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — for betting

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