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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — money
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. court — of law
  10. cap — a hat
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — for sport
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a city
  19. court — of a king
  20. land — to come down
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cap — of ice
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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