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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: straw · charge · coach · sharp · can · capital · net · race

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — in sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — after costs
  8. charge — a price
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — for catching
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — the arms race
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — a contest
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. capital — money
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — a city
  23. race — humankind
  24. sharp — with an edge

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