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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · coach · land · pitch · ball · mug · game · mine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mug — a cup
  3. land — a country
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ball — a great time
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mine — for digging
  22. land — ground
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mine — belonging to me

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