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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: coach · board · field · stand · capital · key · file · wake

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. field — a subject
  3. file — a document
  4. key — for a lock
  5. board — to get on
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. board — a committee
  10. file — a tool
  11. key — in music
  12. field — for sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. field — farmland
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wake — a trail
  20. key — the most important part
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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