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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: capital · dip · land · band · chip · mug · coach · staff

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. land — ground
  7. mug — a face
  8. land — to come down
  9. band — a ring
  10. dip — to sink
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — to rob
  14. band — a music group
  15. land — a country
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mug — a cup
  24. staff — a stick

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