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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: swing · capital · pass · coach · cell · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cell — in biology
  3. swing — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. capital — money
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. swing — in golf
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — a city
  17. swing — to play on
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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