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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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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: coach · face · nail · safe · bat · toast · capital · wake

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — bread
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. face — part of the head
  16. capital — money
  17. bat — the animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. capital — a city
  24. face — to point toward

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