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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: stand · snap · foot · fine · cue · prune · firm · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fine — all right
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cue — a signal
  7. firm — steady
  8. snap — to click
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — high quality
  12. firm — decided
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. capital — money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. foot — a measure
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cue — a hint
  23. prune — to trim
  24. firm — a company

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