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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: stick · net · capital · spell · game · chip · spring · coach

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — magic
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — a short time
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — letters
  9. chip — to eat
  10. net — after costs
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — of water
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — money
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chip — for betting
  24. net — for catching

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