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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · coach · stand · mine · chip · capital

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stand — to bear
  3. chip — for betting
  4. capital — money
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. capital — a city
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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