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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — a break
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a great time
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mug — a face
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — to rob
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tube — a container
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mug — a cup

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