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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: mug · coach · present · club · capital · racket · date · wind

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mug — to rob
  3. present — there
  4. mug — a face
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. capital — a city
  7. club — for dancing
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. date — the fruit
  12. present — the time now
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mug — a cup
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. club — a group
  18. present — a gift
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. coach — a trainer

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