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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. band — a ring
  20. capital — a city
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stand — to bear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a rubber band

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