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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: court · track · capital · pass · staff · coach · bore · face

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — to point toward
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pass — a permit
  12. face — part of the head
  13. track — a song
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. bore — to tire
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — employees
  20. capital — money
  21. face — to confront
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to drill

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