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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · racket · capital · hide · mate · fan · arm · trunk

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. 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. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mate — to breed
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a friend
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. capital — money
  24. 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