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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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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: bay · nail · snap · mate · deal · coach · fan · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to click
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. capital — money
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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