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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: capital · chair · game · rule · mate · firm · wound · wax

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. firm — a company
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a partner
  8. firm — decided
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — an injury
  12. firm — steady
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chair — a leader
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rule — a law
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rule — government
  24. wax — to grow

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