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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: capital · rest · coach · ground · spell · can · cap · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a city
  6. cap — of ice
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spell — letters
  11. ground — a position
  12. capital — money
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — a hat
  17. can — to be able to
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. can — a tin
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — a break

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