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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: fan · coach · capital · cold · band · fine · court · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. band — a music group
  4. court — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. capital — a city
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of a king
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. band — a ring
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — all right
  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