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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: net · rash · file · coach · capital · mine · toast · mark

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mark — a trace
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. file — a tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — after costs
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. file — a document
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — a city
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — a series
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. capital — money

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