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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 116 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: fall · capital · coach · craft · track · suit · ball · field

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. craft — a skill
  3. track — a path
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. suit — in cards
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — for sport
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — the season
  11. suit — clothes
  12. field — a subject
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. suit — to fit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — farmland
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a great time
  23. track — to keep track
  24. craft — boats

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